Page 38 of A Chance to Believe

‘Fair enough.’ If his heart contracted a little and there was an odd sinking feeling in his gut, it was only to be expected. Just because he was ready to settle down, didn’t mean she would be. Some people never did. ‘Have you always felt this way?’

‘I went through the usual romantic crushes in my teens. I grew up.’

It came out in a flat tone that ended the subject. A very definite no-go zone. ‘I’ll leave you to get to sleep.’

She looked almost disappointed, a faint downturn in the corners of her mouth. He reached over and kissed her lightly. ‘Sleep well. Thanks for the talk.’

Her fingers clenched the sheets. ‘You’re welcome. I … please talk to Kimberley. I think she needs some parental input.’

Tugging his boots on, he nodded. ‘I’ll follow it up.’ He picked up the box of condoms at the door. ‘I take it you don’t need these?’

‘I’m on what they call pelvic rest. They’re useless to me now.’

He was tempted to enlarge on the conversation, but she was visibly wilting, darkling shadows forming under her eyes. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow. Would you like the light off?’

‘Yes, please.’ He flicked it off, leaving the small lamp beside the bed creating a golden pool of light that barely touched her. The whole image, the soft bed, the beautiful woman, it all looked too tempting, and he took himself off, closing and locking the door into the corridor as he went through and checking the doors to the outside as he went past.

It wasn’t late, so he took the stairs two at a time and headed to Kimberley’s suite at the other end of the house to his own bedroom. He glanced at the big double doors to the master suite as he went past. It hadn’t been occupied since his parents moved out. It had seemed pointless to move in without a wife when he had a perfectly adequate room he’d lived comfortably in since he was a toddler. His mother had redecorated it over the years, to take in his changing age and interests. The big king-size bed was comfortable, but he never brought women home, not since that one time. Not since his sister died.

Once his mother had pulled herself out of the depression that followed Brittany’s death, she’d flung herself into a frenzy of redecorating. She’d obsessed over making it as accurate as possible, dragging older pieces out of the attics and searching for exactly the right soft furnishings and fabrics to display the age and history of the building. It had taken her years, and she’d ended up where she started, turning the pink fantasy of Kimberley’s childhood room into these two rooms, plus a bathroom. A suite for a teenager burgeoning on womanhood. Perhaps it had helped with the grief.

Now Kimberley was the same age as Brittany had been and his parents were in their own spacious home in town. The years were slipping away, and he had a second chance as a father. He needed to be there for Kimberley more than ever.

Kimberley muttered something that he took as permission to enter after his knock on her door. She was curled up on the couch, still fully dressed, watching an old Hallmark style movie. Something with cowboys and Christmas. She flicked it on to pause but didn’t move, keeping her eyes on the frozen screen.

He slid onto the couch beside her. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t listen.’

For a moment, he thought she might ignore him. She took a deep breath in, and the words came out. ‘You’re my father. You’re supposed to listen.’

‘I was scared. I’m struggling with the fact that my little girl is turning into a woman.’

She looked at him with raised brows. ‘Did you have a row with Cassie?’

He huffed a puff of air. ‘Nearly. It’s hard to argue with her.’

‘It is. She’s so … I don’t know … It’s like she’s seen everything and nothing surprises her. Not people anyway.’

‘Did she help when you talked?’

‘Kind of. She told me to talk to you.’

‘Sounds like good advice.’

‘Yeah right. Especially when you take one look at me and go off your tree.’

‘It was the condoms.’

‘I’m nearly seventeen. If I’m going to have safe sex, I need to have something to be safe with.’

Shayne slowed his breathing. He couldn’t afford to lose it now, or he could lose his daughter. ‘Are you going to have safe sex?’

Pink colour bathed her skin, right down her throat. ‘Maybe.’

‘I didn’t realise you had a boyfriend.’

‘Seriously, Dad, I’ve had like a dozen boyfriends.’

‘Seriously, Kimberley, I meant serious boyfriends.’

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